Best Games Prizes 2017
Position after
Result:
[Event "Frank Parr Prize"] [Site "Surrey v Sussex (Corr)"] [Date "2016"] [White "DANIEL YOUNG"] [Black "Ralph Mansson"] [Result "1-0"] {Chess engines aren't omniscient! Slow-burning attacks still give them problems, and in this game they think Black is getting away with some appalling risks until it's far too late.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Bb7 {In the Zaitsev Black often gives up his pawn centre for piece play against e4, so the game can become very sharp. That suited both sides...} 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a4 { This extremely complicated line, a staple of the Kasparov-Karpov matches, is only really suitable for correspondence. Black trades in his centre for a mobile queenside majority, so White must use his extra space to launch a kingside attack. This attack is a slow-burner, making it hard to understand this position even with an engine.} h6 13. Bc2 exd4 14. cxd4 Nb4 15. Bb1 c5 16. d5 Nd7 17. Ra3 f5 $5 {Shooting for the moon: Black destabilises the centre, and White has to offer a pawn to keep up the pressure. But this weakens his own king and gives White's pieces access to e4.} ({The older} 17... c4 {seems more consistent to me, and has a better theoretical reputation.}) 18. Nh2 Kh8 19. g4 {...h6 makes it easy to open lines, but Black now also has to hand over the e4 and g4 squares.} (19. Rg3 {is popular, but I didn't like} bxa4 20. exf5 Rxe1+ 21. Qxe1 Bxd5 22. Ng4 Nf6 $44 {and Black's kingside remains intact. White needs to include his g-pawn in the attack too!}) 19... fxe4 20. Nxe4 Bxd5 ( 20... Nxd5 21. g5 Re6 22. Rd3 $5 {is awkward - Black dare not divert more kingside defenders, but the tricky} N5f6 (22... Nf4 23. Bxf4 Rxe4 24. Rxe4 Bxe4 25. gxh6 gxh6 26. Ng4 $1 Bxd3 27. Qxd3 {gives White an overwhelming attack for the exchange}) 23. gxf6 Bxe4 24. Rde3 d5 25. f3 {wins material;} Qxf6 26. fxe4 d4 27. e5 $1 Nxe5 28. Re4 $14 {favours the piece in the middlegame.}) 21. g5 bxa4 22. Rg3 {White doesn't care about queenside pawns at all - his attack is all that matters.} (22. gxh6 $2 {also helps Black, believe it or not, since he reaches f6, for example} gxh6 23. Bd2 Bb3 24. Bc3+ Bg7 25. Bxg7+ Kxg7 26. Qxd6 Nf6 27. Qg3+ Kh8 28. Qf4 Ra7 29. Nf3 Rg7+ 30. Kh2 Nbd5 $17 {and White has lost the initiative.}) 22... Bb3 23. Qh5 {So Black has two pawns - but all of White's pieces are pointed at his king. He can only survive the next few moves by artificial means:} Re6 24. gxh6 g6 {driving White back} 25. Qg4 (25. Rxg6? Qe8).Ne5 26. Qe2 Nbc6 27. Qf1 Nd4 $2 {A fatal loss of time, after which White's pieces soon flood in.} (27... Qe7 {Incredibly, it looks like Black can survive with perfect play - but who knows? I looked at} 28. Bg5 Qf7 29. Bd2 Be7 30. f4 d5 31. Ng5 Bxg5 32. Rxg5 {and was sure that Black's position is about to collapse, but was soon disappointed.} Nc4 33. Rxe6 Qxe6 34. Rxg6 Rg8 35. f5 Nxd2 36. Qf2 Qf6 $1 {Sneaky! When White regains his piece,} 37. Qxd2 Ne5 {forces simplification.} 38. Rxg8+ Kxg8 $11 {The computer suggests perpetuals everywhere... which as often as not means it doesn't have a clue what's going on either.}) 28. Ng5 Re7 (28... Re8 29. Rxb3 $1 axb3 30. Rxe5 {wins everything}) (28... Rf6 29. f4 Nf7 30. Ng4 {traps the rook.} ) 29. f4 {It turns out that all this is recommended for Black in Solozhenkin's recent book, "The Spanish Main Road", optimistically evaluated as unclear. I'm sure no human would go near this with a bargepole - such are the perils of trusting published analysis!} Nec6 30. Bxg6 Bxh6 31. Rg4 $1 {Engines miss this evil little move at low depth, but once the big guns reach h4 White will have too many attackers.} Raa7 32. Be3 Kg8 (32... Bc2 {loses prettily to} 33. Bxd4+ Nxd4 34. Bxc2 Nxc2 35. Rxe7 Qxe7 36. Rh4 Kg7 37. Rxh6 $1 Kxh6 38. Ng4+ Kh5 { (Otherwise 39. Qd3(+) is crushing)} 39. Ne4 Ne3 40. Ng3+ Kg6 41. Qd3+ Kg7 42. Nxe3 Qe6 43. Ngf5+ Kf8 44. Qxd6+ Qxd6 45. Nxd6 $18 {, and the passed pawns promise White an easy win.}) 33. Qf2 Qa5 {Only a computer could suggest such a move. Sadly he never removed my b-pawn - then I would be 'all-in' on the kingside with every piece in play!} 34. Ne4 Bg7 35. f5 Ne5 36. Bd2 (36. f6? Qxe1+! 37. Qxe1 Nf3+ {was Black's only idea. The rest is a rout.}) Qd8 37. f6 Re6 38. Rf1 Nxg6 $6 {Everything loses:} (38... Nxg4 39. Nxg4 Bf8 40. Qh4 $18 { threatening 41. f7+ and death}) (38... Ndf3+ 39. Nxf3 Nxg4 {, the computer effort, is smashed by} 40. Bh7+ Kxh7 41. Qh4+ Kg8 42. f7+ $18 {bagging the queen}) (38... Rxf6 39. Nxf6+ Bxf6 40. Qxf6 Qxf6 41. Rxf6 Nxg4 42. Nxg4 $18 { wins a piece, with Black's pawns dropping soon.}) 39. Rxg6 Rxe4 40. Qg2 { Even stronger than} (40. Rxg7+) Ree7 41. fxe7 Qxe7 42. Ng4 Kh8 43. Nf6 { and Black resigned, since there is nothing to stop White's heavy pieces flooding in.} (43. Nf6 Qe6 44. Bh6 {soon breaks in, say after} Ne2+ 45. Kh1 Bxf6 46. Rfxf6 Qd5 {- White gets his revenge with} 47. Bg7+ Rxg7 48. Rf8+ Qg8 49. Rh6+ Rh7 50. Qg6 $1 $18 {, a curious echo of Black's exploits in the 27... Qe7 variation.}) 1-0 [Event "Club Competitions"] [Site "Wimbledon 3 v CCF 2"] [Date "1 February 2017"] [White "ANTHONY HUGHES"] [Black "Matt Darville"] [Result "1-0"] {The missing bishop. The Nimzo-Indian manifesto includes Black giving up his dark-squared bishop so the last thing he should do when implementing this manifesto is weaken his dark squares. But that is exactly what he did.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 Ne4 6. a3 Bxc3+ (6... Qh4!) 7. Nxc3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 O-O 9. Qf3 Nc6 10. Bd3 Qf6 11. Qg3 d6 12. O-O g6 13. f4 Na5 14. f5 exf5 15. e4 f4 16. Bxf4 Qe6 17. Bh6 (17. e5 {is also good}) Re8 18. e5 (18. Rf3 {also wins but deeper reflection shows that the move played is actually strongest}) dxe5 19. Rae1 Qg4 20. Rxe5 {Black finds that he can never exchange Queens right up to the end of the game because of the back rank mate.} Bf5 21. Rfe1 Re6 22. Rxe6 fxe6 23. Qxc7 1-0